At Last…

So, I have arrived in the Rockies at last and all set to get Rockin! The journey here has been so full of experiences, happenings, memories, and new friends, that I have to take a deep breathe and regroup for the Main Event!

Going outside my cabin at Jasper Park Lodge, to seven degrees, soon woke me up to the realisation of how high in the mountains we had come! Layers of clothing were quickly donned as I enjoyed the view of the majestic Mount Robson over breakfast. Then it was off on a coach to visit Medicine, Athabasca and Maligne Lakes and Canyon, hunt for Bears and Moose and learn more about the structure and history of this magnificent mountain range and how the eco system works with underground rivers and water. We were not totally successful in all our endeavours, as I am still waiting to see a BEAR!! However, Mike,, our driver courier and a retired Canadian with a wry sense of humour and Aden, a young Aussie, regaled us with stories, plied us with refreshments and generally gave us a most entertaining day. We heard the sad tale of how many of the trees are being destroyed by a red beetle than can only be obliterated by two months of temperature below minus forty degrees Celsius or by forest fire. The beautiful russet colours of the trees that I spotted, contrasting the many shades of green, are in fact trees that are dying. It’s a nationwide problem and the devastation is terrible. This is Nature at its worst! Visiting Maligne Lake was truly remarkable. The image of the lake is a familiar one,as it has been used extensively in international advertising campaigns the world over. To walk along the lakeshore and sit and contemplate the beauty was a pleasure and a privilege. Nearby, the Canyon was immense! The roar of the water thundering below us, down a couple of hundred feet and the sight of it cascading between the rocks, was beautiful, in a scary way.

We did spy a magnificent Moose with two cubs, apparently a relatively rare sight, but still no BEARS! We saw some of their scat, fresh, Mike informed us, so they must be nearby, he said…..

The temperature shot up in the afternoon and I took the opportunity of playing some golf. I have been sitting, eating and drinking for last few days so needed exercise. Not a great lover of golf carts, I was surprised when the caddymaster insisted I take one for my solo nine holes. Eventually he spilt the beans as to the reason why, four Grizzlys and one Black Bear had been spotted on the Course during the day, so he felt I would be safer in a cart! Incidentally the Black Bear was seen on the Ladies tee at the First! Well, the course was fantastic, challenging but so scenic. Two groups let me through and I had a chat with each of them. Great run on the ball and I was happy with my game especially as I was playing with rented clubs but, yes you have guessed it…NO BEARS! Interesting local rule applies, that if your ball hits any wildlife ( Moose, Bears, Elks) it is not deemed a penalty!!

Early start again next morning in a cool temperature. We were headed for the Columbia Icefields, so layers of clothing starting with thermals, was called for! I have to admit, I had no clue what the Icefields were or held for us, but I soon learned. When I have looked at the Rockies in movies, in photographs and since I arrived on this trip, I always assumed it was snow I was looking at , on these massive mountains. But no, I have now learned, that much of this beautiful white effect is in fact, glaciers, laid down over thousands of years. Of course there is copious amounts of snow also, but the story of the formation of the Glaciers is a fascinating one and well told to us by Mike. The sad aspect of the same story is that the Glaciers are melting at the rate of between 12 and 15 metres per annum. The enormous Athabaska Glacier, that we visited has retreated approximately two kilometres since 1844. We were shown the heights where the Glacier had been 100 years ago, 50 years ago and 10 years ago and the erosion is extraordinary. This is due in no small part to climate change and I consider myself so lucky to have seen and visited this natural phenomenon now, as sadly, it will be gone in the not too distant future. Visitors can walk on the Glacier, thanks to enormous custom made vehicles called Ice Explorers. We were bussed to a central point, when we transferred to this vehicle, that in some way resembled a tank, with huge Tyres and were driven by a young Aussie. Having tettered down a gradient of 32 degrees, we were on the Glacier, with many others. This trip was a total of 5 kilometres on the Glacier? When we arrived I was surprised to see the ice was not as you would expect. Apparently this is due to pollution and dust from the atmosphere. I was puzzled to see so many people walking on the ice, having been told all about the erosion and felt this had to contribute to it also, but our Guide assured us not. We must accept that, but…..? It was a weird experience to walk on the ice, specific areas of access clearly marked out. Flags of different countries had been inserted along the perimeter, in front of which, photos were taken, presumably by citizens of those respective destinations. No Tricolour to be seen and I am hoping that is because we are more conscious of conservation than others??? Whatever, the Glacier Skywalk was an incredible experience and one I shall remember for a long time.

We were then brought to the Glacier Skywalk, which is a new glass floored observation platform, extending 30 metres above the Sunwapta Valley. The Boardwalk to the Platform and the height at which one is walking, gave the most extraordinary views of the roaring river below and the towering Glaciers above! Amazing!

En route to our overnight stop at Banff Springs, we stopped to visit Peyto Lake which had the most amazing turquoise colour. It was so beautiful, down below us and surrounded by thousands of Pine trees. I am sure there were Bears lurking in all that timber, but they must be shy!!

The rain had started now and we had a long day, so we hit the Trans Canadian Highway where Mike showed us how walkways both over and under, had been constructed for the animals to get from one side to the other ! How accommodating! But apparently the animals do use these walkways and the number of traffic accidents that had been caused by animals on the highway, has now been drastically reduced!

Banff is a well known tourist and ski resort with a resident population of only 9,000 people. However it was quite busy and buzzy as we approached our hotel suggesting it was much bigger. Our hotel, Banff Springs is an amazing place, Castle like, it was built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1888. Many of these impressive hotels were built by the Railroads to provide accommodation for passengers at the end of their journeys, a little like Great Southern Hotels did in Ireland. Tomorrow night, we stay in another well known property, also constructed by the Railroad in 1890, Chateau Lake Louise.

I had a pleasant meal in one of the 13 restaurants in the hotel that evening. My view should have been of the golf course, but a misty wet night prevented this. A group of Canadian ladies seated beside me were playing Progressive Rummy, they called it! It looked very much like Bridge to me , so we got into chat and had an interesting discussion of the difference of the two games. One difference was their consumption of wine as they played, leading to rising voices as the evening progressed! A little different to our more sedate Bridge games!

I will leave you to absorb this part of the journey and tomorrow shall tell you about our farewell to the Rockies and maybe a BEAR sighting! Hope springs eternal and all that, but time is running out!